“Yeah,” Shamrock replied with a grin. “Mighty profitable. Only how come I had to change my name, but you didn’t have to change your name? You was involved in the robbery back in Sulphur Springs, same as I was.”
“No, I wasn’t involved. I set the job up for you, but I didn’t actually take part in it, if you remember.”
“Yeah, I remember. I wound up taking all the chances, but you got most of the money.”
“What I’ve got set up for us now, why, you will be in position to make as much money as you did from the bank robbery in Sulphur Springs, and much more money than you earned from that job in Seven Oaks.”
Shamrock smiled. “Yeah, I will, won’t I?”
“The first thing you must do is instruct your men to refer to you as Paul Harris, not only in public, but even when you are alone. As I intend to do.”
“Yeah, all right, if you say so.”
“I do, indeed, say so.”
* * *
As soon as Houser and Shamrock returned to the ranch, Shamrock rounded up Jaco, Evans, Wix, Pete, and Hawke, and told them that Houser wanted to talk to them.
“What about me ’n Malcolm ’n Dobbins?” Knox asked.
“He didn’t say nothin’ about none of you,” Shamrock replied.
Turley didn’t even ask about himself; he had already learned that there were two groups of men employed by Houser, those who worked, like he, Cooper, and the remaining cowhands, and those who, as far as he could tell, did nothing.
Turley shrugged. It didn’t really bother him all that much that Houser had so much dead weight at the ranch. He wasn’t paying their salary.
* * *
“What do you mean we’re goin’ to be deputies?” Jaco asked. “You signed us up to be deputies? I thought we was goin’ to be makin’ some money while we was here. What does a deputy make? Thirty dollars a month?”
“You won’t be deputies for the sheriff, you’ll be deputyin’ for the governor of Wyoming,” Shamrock said with a wide smile.
“The governor?”
“Yeah, I’m a special lawman for the governor of Wyoming. ’N from now on when you talk to me, you’ll call me Captain Harris.”
“Why the hell should we do that?” Wix asked.
“For two hundred dollars a month, ’n a chance to make a lot more money,” Shamrock said.
“Two hundred dollars a month?” Jaco replied excitedly. “Damn, that’s ten times more ’n a cowhand gets.”
“Yes, it is. So, what do you say? Do you want to be my deputy?”
“I say you got yourself a deputy,” Jaco replied.
“Two deputies,” Wix added.
The others signed on as well.
“Here’s a hundred dollars apiece to get you started,” Houser said. He smiled. “And this, gentlemen, is just a bonus. It will not come out of your monthly salary.”
Happily, and eagerly, the men took the proffered money.
“Hey, Shamrock, you ain’t said what it is that we’re goin’ to be doin’ as deputies,” Hawke said.
“The first thing you’re goin’ to do is stop callin’ me Shamrock ’n start callin’ me Captain Harris. ’N then, after that, why, you’re goin’ to do whatever I tell you to do,” Shamrock said.
“That’s all right with me,” Hawke said.
The others agreed.
“Hey, Sham . . . uh . . . Cap’n Harris, is it all right with you, if me ’n some of the others go into town tonight?” Jaco asked. He smiled. “I mean, what good is it to get a hundred dollars if you cain’t go into town ’n spend it?”
Shamrock looked over at Houser, who, with a slight nod, gave his acquiescence to the request.
Chapter Twenty-three
The girls who served drinks at Fiddler’s Green let it be known, very quickly, that a drink and smile was all they were willing to give. Jaco and the other men with him wanted more than that, so they took their business to the Wild Hog Saloon.
The newly constituted deputies were greeted by some working girls as soon as they stepped inside the saloon.
“Well,” one of the girls said with a practiced smile. “What do you think, ladies? Here are some cowboys we’ve never seen before.”
“We ain’t cowboys,” Pete said.
“Oh?” one of the other girls said. “Well, what are you, honey, if you ain’t cowboys?”
“We’re deputies,” Jaco said.
“Deputies? My, my, you mean to tell me that Sheriff Sharpie has hired himself five new deputies?”
“Nah,” Evans said. “We ain’t deputies for the sheriff. We’re deputies for the governor his ownself.”
“Are we deputies for the governor, or just for Shamrock?” Wix asked.
“His name ain’t Shamrock no more, remember?” Hawke asked. “His name is Harris now, Paul Harris.”
“Oh yeah. Captain Harris,” Wix said.
“My name is Cindy,” one of the girls said, taking hold of Jaco’s arm. “How would you like to buy me a drink?”
“Yeah,” Jaco said. “I’ll buy you a drink. ’N then maybe we can do somethin’ else,” he added with a salacious smile.
“Honey, as long as you got the money, we can do anything else you want,” Cindy replied.
As the girls paired off with the men, it quickly became evident that there was one girl short of being enough to go around, Wix being the one who was left out.
“Hey, ain’t there no other girls here?” Wix asked.
“Dianne is upstairs with a gentleman,” Cindy said. “She’ll be down soon.”
“What room is she in?” Wix asked.
Cindy laughed. “It’s the first door on the right as soon as you reach the top of the stairs. Don’t worry, if she decides to go upstairs with you, she’ll show you which room is hers.”
“Yeah, well, I ain’t plannin’ on waitin’,” Wix said, starting for the foot of the stairs.
“Fred! Fred, stop him!” one of the other girls shouted, pointing toward Wix. “He’s going up to get Dianne.”
“Hold on, mister, you can’t go up there unless you’re invited,” the bartender called out toward Wix.
“I’m invitin’ myself,” Wix said, pulling his pistol and pointing it at the bartender.
The bartender put his hands up in the air. “You’ve got no right to do that!”
“Yeah,
